Wringer attachment for washing-machines.



F. W. WAPPAT.

WRINGER ATTACHMENT FOR WASHING MACHTNES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 5. I915.

1atent0d Feb. 27, 1917.

2 sH ETssHEET 1.

INVENTOR WITNESSES F. w. W APPAT. WRINGER ATTACHMENT FORWASHING'MACHINES..

APPLICATION FILED FEE. 5,1915.

Patented Feb. 27,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEE 2 FIG.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED W. WEAPPAT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURGHGAGE AND. SUPPLY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Original application filed February 5, 1915, Serial No. 6,331. Dividedand this application filed February 5, 1915. Serial No. 6,330.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED W. WAPPAT, a resident of Pittsburgh, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Wringer Attachments for Washing- Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing -machines and particularly toaswinging wringer and driving mechanism therefor. The object of theinvention is to provide a swinging wringer. and driving mechanismtherefor which can be readily embodied in any washing machine, andparticularly motor driven machines, which is of simple construction, ispositive in its action and is very simple to operate, in which, further,the swinging wringer frame may be readily disconnected from the washingmachine and is capable of being turned about a vertical axis withoutaffecting its driving connections, so that it can be operated in variouspositions of the wringer, either over the washing machine frameor to oneside thereof. A further object of the invention is to provide swingingwringer-mechanism of the class described embodying a reversing mechanismfor rotating the wringer rolls selectively in either direction and forpositively locking the swinging wringer frame in any desired position. Afurther object of the invention is to provide a construction of thiskind in which the swinging wringer frame is very solidly mounted uponthe washin machine but is nevertheless capable of bemg easilyturnedabout itsvertical axis. v

The invention comprises the construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed. 7

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of a washing machine embodyingthe invention; Fig. 2 is a front view, on a larger scale, part of theframe being omitted; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the connection betweenthe drum driving and wringer driving mechanisms; Fig. 4 is a sectionalelevation of the wringer driving and reversing mechanism; Fig. 5 is across section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4; and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are detailperspective views of the clutch controlling devices.

In the drawings, the body or tub of the washing machine is indicated at11, one of These parts may be varied within wide limits, as the featuresof the invention are dlrected more particularly to the driving andreversing mechanismfor the wringer, its connection to the agitatordrlving mechanism and the support for the wringer carry- 1ng frame.

The machine is driven by any suitable means, such as the electric motor15 supported beneath the frame and having its armature shaft connectedto the first one of a train of speed reducing gears inclosed within thecasing 14 and which gears include suitable automatically operatedreversing mechanism for rotating the agitator shaft of the machine. Thismechanism is not shown in detail but may, for example, be of the sameconstruction and arrangement as shown, described and claimed in myco-p'ending'application for reversing mechanism, filed of even dateherewith, Serial No.

6,331, of which this application is a division.

From the train of gears referred to a diagonal shaft extends upwardly atone side of the casing and terminates in a bevel gear 16 meshing withanother bevel gear 17 pinned to a vertical stub shaft 18, these gearsand shafts being inclosed within a supplemental casing 19 carried by themachine frame.

The wringer 13 is bolted or otherwise secured to a casting 19 which inturn is securedto a head 20, which is swiveled upon a vertical axis inthe casting or bearing member 21 secured to the machine frame and lyingdirectly above the casing 19 before referred to, so that said wringercan be swung into operative position over'the tub or out of thatposition so as to be out of the way. As

shown,this wringer is adapted to be locked in three difi'erentpositions, one position over the tub, one position 90 degrees therefrom,and a third position at 180 degrees therefrom. This is secured by meansof a spring pressed plunger 22 mounted in the bearing member 21 andprovided at its outer end with a pulling member or head 23, and whoseinner end is adapted to engage any one of three sockets or depressions24 in the head 20. In order to swing the wringer to these severalpositions it is merely necessary to pull the spring plunger 22 outwardlyand move the wringer to the desired position and allow the springplunger to engage {the proper depression in the head 20. This can bevery easily effected and is very much easier on the operator than inprior machines employing swinging wringers in which the wringer must belifted in order to unlock it from one position to permit it to be swungto another position. The old arrangement requires the expenditure ofconsiderable force because these wringers are quite heavy. This isavoided in the arrangement shown, but nevertheless the wringer iseffectively locked in any one of three positions.

The driving mechanism for the wringer is as follows :The stub shaft 18at its upper end is connected by a transverse pin 25 to a sleeve 26, thelatter being provided with open slots 27 at right angles to the pin 25,and which are engaged by a transverse pin 28 in the lower end of shaftmember 29, whose upper end is journaled in bearing 30 in the head 20,and has secured to its extreme upper end a bevel gear 31 meshing withtwooppositely facing bevel gears 32 and 33, both loose upon wringerdriving shaft 34 journaled in the upper portion of head 20. The verticalshaft 29 is provided with a universal joint 35 which may be of anysuitable construction, and the wringer shaft 34 is similarly providedwith a universal joint 36, so as to compensate for any slightdifferences in alinement of the dififerent portions of said shafts.Splined to the shaft 34 between the gears 32 and 33 is a clutch member37 arranged to be locked to either the gear 32 or 33,an d thereby securethe driving of the wringer in opposite directions, as desired. Fig. 4shows the clutch member 37 in neutral ,position. This clutch member isprovided with an annular groove 38 which is engaged by the end 39 of avertical spindle 40 rotatable in the top portion of the head 20. The end39 is eccentric'to the axis of the spindle 40, so that the rotation ofthe clutch member 37 will be in neutral position, and by moving thehandle in one position to bring the projection 42 into registration withanother notch, said clutch member will be shifted into lockingconnection with, say the pinion 32, and drive the wringer in onedirection, while by turning the handle 41 in the opposite direction fromneutral position and bringing the projection 42 into engagement withanother notch 43,

said clutch member will be moved into locking engagement with the gear33 and thus drive the wringer in the opposite direction. A spiral spring44 is arranged to normallyhold the plunger downwardly, so as to hold theprojection 42 against accidental displacement from whichever notch 43 itmay be engaged with. By this clutch mechanism the wringer can be drivenin either direction or entirely stopped.

The shaft 29 and the universal coupling members in said shaft arepreferably inclosed by a tube 45, which is a tight fit on the lower endof the head 20, and whose lower end fits loosely into the casing 19. Inorder to remove the wringer entirely the spring plunger 22 is withdrawn,when the wringer, together with the head 20 and shaft 29 and inclosingsleeve 45 can be lifted out, the open slots 27 of the universal couplingat the lower end of shaft 29 permitting these parts to be lifted outwithout the necessity of unfastening any of the gearing.

The universal couplings 35 and 36 may likewise be provided with openslots into which the transverse pins fit so that these shafts can bereadily disconnected by a mere endwise movement. The drawings show theseuniversal couplings, but this feature is not essential in these twocouplings.

What I claim is 1. A wringer supporting and reversing and readilyremoved as a unit.

, 2. A wringer supporting and reversing mechanism provided with asupport adapted to be attached to a washing machine, a frame pivoted tosaid support so as to swing about a vertical axis and arranged to beremovable from said support without detaching any of the parts of themechanism, a wringer rigidly fixed to said frame, and a reversingmechanism carried by said frame and attached by a universal joint to thewringer mechanism, said reversing mechanism being also arranged so thatit may be detachably connected to a driving shaft on the washingmachine, whereby the frame,

wringer and reversing mechanism may be 13a moved about the support toany desired position and readily removed as a unit from said support,and means on the support for locking the mechanism in any one of severalpositions. 7

3. In combination, a washing machine, a driving shaft carried thereby, asupport attached to the washing machine, a frame pivoted to said supportand arranged to be removed therefrom without detaching any fixed parts,a wringer fixed to said frame,

and a reversing mechanism carried by the frame and fixedly connected tothe wringer mechanism, said reversing mechanism being arranged to bedetachably connected to the driving shaft and to reverse the directionof the wringer independently of the direction of rotation of the drivingshaft, whereby the frame, wringer and reversing mechanism may be movedabout the support and readily removed as a unit therefrom.

4. A wringer supporting and reversing mechanism comprising a supportadapted to be attached-to a washing machine, a frame pivoted to saidsupport and arranged to be removable therefrom without detaching anyfixed parts, a wringer fixed to said frame, and a reversing mechanismcarried by said frame and connected to the wringer mechanism, saidreversing mechanism being arranged so that the direction of rotation ofthe wringer may be reversed without affecting the connection betweensaid mechanism and the wringer mechanism and also Without changing thedirection of rotation of the driving shaft of said reversing mechanism,whereby the frame, wringer and reversing mechanism may be moved aboutthe support to any position and operated and reversed in said positionor be readily removed as a unit from the support.

5. In combination, a wringer, a frame rigidly attached to said wringer,a shaft carried by said frame and attached to the wringer mechanism by auniversal joint, a second shaft carried by said frame at an angle to thefirst, said latter shaft being arranged to be detachably connected to adriving shaft carried by a washing machine,

means between said shafts for reversing the rotation of the shaftconnected to the wringer mechanism independently of the direction ofrotation of the other shaft, a support adapted to be attached to awashing machine, said support being arranged to receive the frame sothat it may be swung on a vertical axis and the entire frame with thereversing mechanism and wringer readily removed as a unit from saidsupport, and means on the support for positively locking the frame indiflerent positions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. I

FRED W. WAPPAT.

Witnesses ELBERT L. HYDE, GLENN H. LERESCHE.

